- Vital Metals (VML) intersects further broad zones of rare earth oxides at the Tardiff zone within its Nechalacho project in Canada
- Drilling was undertaken to upgrade the area’s resource and enable mining and processing studies for a starter open pit in the Upper Zone
- So far, the company has defined a zone of REO mineralisation with wide intersections greater than 1.5 per cent TREO
- With the results, Vital says it has enough data to create a resource model for follow-up mining and metallurgical studies to assess the viability of mining and processing in the area
- Vital Metals shares are up 4.6 per cent and trading at 4.5 cents at 11:25 am AEST.
Vital Metals (VML) has intersected further broad zones of rare earth oxides at the Tardiff zone within its Nechalacho project in Canada.
The project is divided into the North T deposit — reportedly one of the highest-grade rare earth deposits in the world — and the Upper Zone, which hosts a resource of 94.7 million tonnes at 1.4 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO).
Vital completed drilling programs in Tardiff Zone One to upgrade the resource and enable mining and processing studies for a starter open pit in the Upper Zone.
Through drilling in this zone, Vital has defined a zone of REO mineralisation with wide intersections greater than 1.5 per cent TREO.
Of the results so far, the company said many intercepts of mineralisation were in excess of 30 metres true thickness.
Additionally, metallurgical testwork on the mineralisation from the Tardiff Zone has returned up to 39.9 per cent TREO.
The company said the testwork demonstrated an ability to produce a high-grade concentrate, which is critical for cost-effective rare earth production.
With the results from the 2022 drilling program, Vital said it had enough data to create a resource model for the Tardiff Zone for follow-up mining and metallurgical studies to assess the viability of mining and processing in the area.
The company is also planning further drilling in the Tardiff zone to expand the measured and indicated resources.
Vital Metals shares were up 4.6 per cent and trading at 4.5 cents at 11:25 am AEST.